Pokemon LAVENDER - volume 1
by Roy Lanegan
Summary: The beginning of a dark and dramatic journey into the nearing future of the Pokemon universe
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue From The Dark

**written by Roy Lanegan**

_* the following story is a dark dramatic vision of the nearing future within the Pokemon universe intended for mature readers *_

READER'S NOTE * (v.o.) stands for "voice-over". If you see it with a character's name, it means they are talking in narration.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1 - ****PROLOGUE FROM THE DARK**

Blackness fills the night. A boy's voice narrates.

CLARE (v.o.): When I was twelve years old.. I died.

The clouds push away from the moon, letting its pale light shine down from the dark sky. It shines through the broken roof of an abandoned building and into the recent crashed hole in the floor. Dust falls and floats all around.

CLARE (v.o.): But I didn't stay dead.

At the bottom of the wreckage in the basement, a young boy, CLARE, lies on his back, dead. Killed from the high fall. Within the unlit darkness of the basement, a pair of eerie triangular white eyes become illuminated. They stare at the boy's body.

Distant footsteps are heard getting closer from above the hole. It is a small search party.

WOMAN: Clare..! Where are you?!

MAN: You think he went in there?

WOMAN: We tell all the kids not go- but he doesn't listen. Clare?!

MAN 2: Hold on- there's a hole in the floor.

A flashlight illuminates the area, and shines down, a young man seeing Clare.

MAN 2: C- Clare?! Hey! I found him! He must have fell through!

WOMAN: Wait- there's another way down! A cellar door somewhere! Hurry!

The ghostly eyes glance back at Clare who begins to have a beautiful bluish-white orb of light slowly exit from his chest. This is his soul leaving. Some clouds move to the moon, blocking out most of the light. The ghost watches for a moment, but then swiftly hovers to the boy.

Clare's soul continues to slowly lift, the ghostly eyes staring at it. The ghost moves its three-finger claw-like hand to the soul, and literally grasps it. He then begins to push it back down towards Clare. Trying to push it back into Clare's chest, the soul acted like a magnet of the same force, pushing away, refusing to go back.

The ghost thinks for a moment. He then begins to generate a power from his hands that emit a dark-purple glow. He grasps the soul one more time, with both hands. He begins to push it down again. The soul enters Clare, but the purple glow begins to grow larger and move faster. The ghost tries hard to make it stay. The dark purple light becomes almost violent as it fights with Clare's light. The ghost's triangular eyes flash red and there is a sudden flash of lightning-like energy that blasts the ghost back several meters, back into the blackness of the basement. Clare suddenly awakens, sitting up in an instant shock. He breathes fast and unevenly, coughing. His eyes are completely wide.

He begins to calm down. He looks above him, seeing the large hole above him.

CLARE: Wh.. what happened..? .. Did I really fall from there?

The ghost moves a bit closer to Clare who quickly notices. They stare at each other for a few moments, but the ghost is still in the dark.

CLARE: Wh- who are you? Are.. you a pokemon?

The eyes simply stare back, almost curiously.

CLARE: Must have hit my head, huh? I don't even remember falling.

The ghost's eyes tilt and slightly squint to even more curiosity.

CLARE: I can't see you.. What kind of pokemon are you?

The ghost's eyes open a bit more, as if to tell him something.

CLARE: .. Wait- you're a ghost-type..?

The cellar door on the other side of the room is suddenly crashed opened. A flashlight enters the room, lighting up most of the basement. Clare looks back at the pokemon. For only a split second, the pokemon looked to be a pitch-black Haunter, instead of the common purple- but at the sight of the light, he literally vanished. Clare simply stares where the Haunter just was, slowly widening his eyes. Nothing else in the world existed to him in this moment, as the search party moved closer to him with their lights and barely inaudible panicked voices.

CLARE (v.o.): And that was how I met my best friend.

Blackness.

* * *

_~chapter 1 continued~_

* * *

Clare now sits up in a hospital bed, the daylight pouring into the room. There are flowers, balloons, and cards all around him, but he himself is alone.

CLARE (v.o.): I may have been alive, but I guess my broken leg had to do things on its own time. So there I sat, hating hospitals before I even got there. There's no other place in the world where time goes by more slowly. Surrounded by dying flowers, and plastic balloons of a "get well soon" kinda thing.

A small Pidgey lands on a tree branch just outside the window. It minds its own business, pecking at its feathers and so forth. Clare glances to the window with tired eyes.

CLARE (v.o.): Oh- that's right. You hardly know anything about me. Where to start.. Well, guess I already started a while back, but here goes. My name is Clare Wakahisa. That's Clare _without_ an "i", and Wakahisa being my dad's last name. I forget what it means off-hand, but I'll let you know when I remember. And please- don't make fun of my name. Before I was born, my parents were told I was gonna be a girl. Bet they were quite surprised. Guess they felt like they had little time to come up with a boy name, so they kinda stuck with what they had. But the story of my name is not what I wanted to tell you.

The Pidgey suddenly flies away.

The hospital room door opens from the outside. Clare still keeps his view fixed on the window. A beautiful woman with long dark hair walks into the room. She wears jeans and a plaid shirt.

CLARE: Hey mom.

MOM: Surprised to see you awake. You usually sleep the day away and stay up all night.

CLARE: I'm just waking up.

MOM: Feeling any better?

CLARE: Yeah, I'm doing fine. Thanks.

MOM: .. Clare.. I'm extremely thankful that you're okay, but.. as your mother I really need to talk to you about what you did.

Clare lets out a sigh. His mother seems to be a caring and considerate person. She sits down on a chair close to Clare's bed.

MOM: You know you've been told many times not to go in that building. Not just by me, but everyone. I know the other kids try to play around there, but you're the oldest in town. You're suppose to set an example, Clare! That building is cursed.

CLARE: So they say.

MOM: .. Fine. You're old enough now, not to believe in such things, so I won't tell you that excuse anymore.. but what about your father?

Clare closes his eyes. He bows his head down a bit.

CLARE: I'm sorry. But it's _because_ of dad that I go there..

Clare's mother begins to get more emotional, as if she could cry at any minute.

MOM: Clare, it's because of your _dad_ that I don't want you going near that place! So please- don't do this again! What if I lost you _too_?!

Clare suddenly opens his eyes in sympathy.

MOM: Your father made that building trying to do something good for the town- but when it was on fire, he died getting everyone else out of it.

CLARE: Mom- I know!

MOM: Don't you understand? Can't I just have my son home with me for at least a little bit longer? I understand that your friends left. You were always the smartest one among those four.

CLARE: Yeah, but where are they now? Gone on their big adventures without me.

MOM: Clare.. they only left two months ago, and your birthday is only in a few more. So please be patient. For me. We all know.. _the law will soon be lifted._

Clare's mother stands up and begins to leave the room. Clare thinks for a few moments.

CLARE: Mom.. do any Pokemon live in the basement of that building?

His mother stops and glances back with slight surprise and almost fright.

MOM: Hmm.. well hardly any _wild_ Pokemon are seen in this area. Why do you ask?

CLARE: Oh.. no reason, just asking.

His mother begins to leave the room. Clare seems unsatisfied by her answer. His mother then stops and fully turns around to him with a smile and closed eyes.

MOM: But I suppose if any _did_ move in.. I'm sure that'd be a good sign for the future, right?

Clare seems somewhat surprised by her final answer, but in a good way. His mother exits the room. Clare glances back out through the window. Several pidgeys fly through the sky.

* * *

_~chapter 1 continued~_

* * *

TEN YEARS EARLIER..

The static of a television suddenly turns into the off-air color bars. Then that suddenly changes to a live broadcast of an elderly Pokemon professor standing before a podium. He wears a white lab coat over a red shirt. He has rough facial hair showing the nights he spent sleepless. This is Professor Oak, now age 75. He reviews a few sheets of paper in his hands. He turns his vision into the camera, about to address the global audience.

OAK: Uh..

Oak sighs as he cannot find the right words to express what he needs to announce.

OAK: Good evening to all. My name is Samuel Oak. Many of you know me as a professor, as well as life-long Pokemon researcher. There, uh- has never been such a moment in the history of the regions. As the world, by now, is strongly aware of the tragedy that fell onto the friends and families, within the Kanto region.. of two young boys- brothers, who had left home at the age of ten to fulfill their dreams of becoming a Pokemon Ranger and a Pokemon Trainer. Alex.. and RJ Haidako in retrospective. Two young souls who will be forever missed. Their lives were unexpectedly taken at the destructive force of two wild Pokemon they were both attempting to capture. Whether this was a hostile action by the Pokemon themselves, or merely an accident is still unknown. However what is known.. are the consequences.

Oak shuffles his papers together, finding a specific one. He begins to read off it.

OAK: "As of this day, June the 1st, the Regional Governments as well as the Pokemon Rangers have passed the law stating that the capturing of any wild Pokemon, through any means, is hereby suspended for a minimum of the next ten years."

The unseen crowd in the room suddenly pick up an angry noise and flash their cameras.

OAK: "All current Pokemon trainers are expected to return to their homes. If a trainer claims to have a homeless status, then they are expected to personally check into their nearest Pokemon Center where they will have temporary housing until said home can be established."

The audience begins to speak out.

REPORTER 1: You really expect every single Pokemon trainer across the world to simply give up on the spot?!

REPORTER 2: What about the rangers- and breeders?! There are thousands of children out there right now- won't this be creating total chaos?!

OAK: "Also, until the ten years has been reached, as well as the law lifted upon notice, the absolute minimum age of departing trainers has been risen to the age of 13."

REPORTER 3: Why has the age been lifted?

OAK: Please understand.. on the other side of the coin, we have countless parents and guardians worried to the bone for the children. We simply never seriously considered it until it was too late. Age 10 is far too young. So please, we all should be able to understand.

REPORTER 4: What about trainers who have already caught Pokemon? Not to mention all the gym leaders?!

OAK: There are several reasons we are passing this law, and the sheer number of wild Pokemon is just another. They are decreasing. We need to give the world time and rest. But to answer your question- "Pokemon trainers will be allowed to keep their caught Pokemon.. but only a maximum of six. Any more than six, it then becomes the trainer's personal decision to decide which ones must be released back into the wild."

The audience becomes almost violent and louder.

REPORTER 5: Release them back?! But that'd be- countless Pokemon going back!

REPORTER 6: Wouldn't that speed up the ten year period to rejuvenate the wild?

REPORTER 7: Shh! Quiet!

REPORTER 8: What about Pokemon battles?

The audience suddenly grows almost silent. The question that everyone waits for with held breath. Oak simply stares, as if in a daze.

OAK: .. "Pokemon Battles.. are hereby prohibited."

The audience suddenly gets back into their uproar. They begin to make chaos. Security guards behind Oak have to step forward in his defense.

* * *

_~to be continued~_


	2. Chapter 2 - Unforgettable

**CHAPTER 2 - UNFORGETTABLE**

* * *

MAY 13th - TWO MONTHS AFTER CLARE'S FIRST DEATH

In the sunny and partly cloudy day, the abandoned building still stands alone, close to the edge of the forest, and the mountains even further away. It is almost all black on the outside from its burns, yet it still stands.

Clare sits on a swing, roped from a high tree. He doesn't move, as the building is the center of his focus. Clare lifts his leg, stretching it. It is healed now. He stands up, not taking his eyes off the building.

Clare suddenly remembers gasping awake in the basement that night. Talking to the Haunter. Then seeing him disappear from the flashlights.

CLARE (v.o.): Did he save me..? I can't remember much about that night. Oh well. It's not like I can talk to him either.

Clare begins to walk back to the town. A soft breeze blows by. Clare stops walking, thinking for a few moments.

He swiftly glances back toward the building.

* * *

_~chapter 2 continued~_

* * *

Clare pushes away some boards in front of the cellar door. He finally opens it, the old wood loudly creaking from his entry. He pauses in silence for a bit, looking around.

Nothing has changed, and the Haunter is nowhere to be seen.

Clare closes the cellar door as he enters anyway. The daylight lets in enough for Clare to walk around freely without tripping up. He keeps his hands in his pockets as he observes all around him, walking slowly.

He comes to a stop, looking ahead. The crash spot from where he fell still lays on the basement floor.

CLARE (smiles): Hm. Kinda funny how one thing can look so different in day and night.

Clare looks up through the large hole.

CLARE: Hello..?!

His voice echoes through. No answer.

CLARE: .. Oh wait- if he's a ghost, then I guess he only comes out at night?

Clare glances around the basement. Not much to look at. Dirt, garbage, wood, and concrete. Clare notices a plastic crate. He takes a few steps toward it, and uses his foot to kick it back to where he was.

CLARE: Um.. if you can hear me, I don't mean any harm! I just wanted to thank you for.. whatever you did. Just gonna sit here for a while! Kay?

Again, no answer. Clare sits down on the crate and folds his arms.

CLARE: Okay..

_SEVERAL HOURS LATER.._

Clare is still sat on the crate with his arms folded, having not moved at all from his spot. It is late in the evening now, and the dim oranges and blues of the sky barely make it into the basement. He is practically asleep, or at least dozing off. He begins to tip to one side. He suddenly awakens, catching his balance.

Clare begins to doze off again. A somewhat loud ringtone suddenly rings, comically scaring him. He reaches into his pocket.

He flips open his phone seeing a text from his mother.

MOM (text): Sorry sweetie, I won't be back til later tonight. Hope you're still resting your leg.

Clare glances down at his leg. He stretches it out and wiggles his ankle. He replies to her text.

CLARE (text): Yup.

Clare closes his phone and puts it back into his pocket.

CLARE (sigh): She wants me home, but she's at work most of the time anyway.

Behind Clare, a ghostly figure floats by, blending in with the wall.

CLARE: I just don't get it..

The sun begins to fully set.

Clare glances up through the hole, seeing the last bit of daylight leave. The wind picks up for a moment, and ruffles through the surrounding trees. It quietly howls through the building. Clare shivers.

CLARE: Guess I didn't really think this one through. I don't even have a flashlight. Wait a sec..

The daylight is almost completely gone. Clare flips open his phone, and presses a few buttons. A light turns on. It works perfect as a substitute.

CLARE: Lovely.

As Clare pans his phone-flashlight slowly across the darkening basement, the light illuminates one of the walls and suddenly reveals a black face suddenly lunge at Clare, sticking out its long tongue and giving a quick shriek. Clare screams from the fright, dropping his phone, and falling backwards off the crate. He panics and breathes quickly, staring at his phone on the floor. Desperate to grab it, he shuffles up to his hands and knees and extends his reach.

He grasps it, and keeping his arm fully extended, shines the light forward and all around. Nothing. The phone dings as an alert. Clare looks at his phone. It reads "Low Battery. Shutting Down".

CLARE: Oh, no- of course- not this! Come on!

The light goes out. Clare begins to try and calm himself down. He shuts his eyes, and remains sat on the floor.

CLARE: Okay- don't run. Just stay. Don't run away. _Don't run_!

A three-clawed hand begins to create an orb of purple energy that gives off a rather beautiful light.

Clare reluctantly glances up. He sees the light growing in brightness. It reveals the two triangular eyes of the black Haunter. Still a bit dim, the ghost extends his purple light hovering in his hand to Clare, who is hesitant to do anything at first.

CLARE: F- for me..?

The Haunter just stares at him, slightly tilting his head.

CLARE: .. It's not gonna explode if I touch it, right?

The Haunter lightly chuckles to himself. He extends his purple light a little further. Clare still hesitates.

CLARE (v.o.): People say that in a full lifetime.. we only get a few unforgettable moments. This one was mine.

Clare reaches his hand underneath the ghost's three-claw hand. The Haunter slowly removes his hand, and the orb remains floating over Clare's. Clare smiles and lightly laughs in awe at the sight. Being a boy who hardly ever spent any time with Pokemon his whole life, this was certainly an incredible experience to him.

Clare stares at the light with a smile.

CLARE: When I was much younger.. I always wanted a fire-type Pokemon.. but ya know something? I'm beginning to change my mind.

The Black Haunter just stares back.

CLARE: .. Say, uh.. I'm not exactly a Poke-expert here, but uh.. Aren't you suppose to be purple in color?

The Haunter tilts his head and raises an eyebrow.

CLARE: Uh- sorry! I don't mean anything rude by it, it's just- I don't really know all that much.

The Haunter has frozen himself in his raised-eyebrow position.

CLARE: Okay.. so you're a Haunter right?

HAUNTER (smiles): Haunt, _haunt_ haunt!

Clare is a little surprised, but still doesn't know what that meant.

CLARE: O..kay.. Uh, how bout this? Since you can understand _me_, but I can't understand _you.._ we'll have to make up a system of communication, alright?

HAUNT: Haunt..

CLARE: So.. if I ask a question, and you wanna answer "No".. you just cover both your eyes with your hands. _But_.. if it's a yes- just cover _one_ eye. Sound good?

The Haunter laughs with happiness and quickly floats around the room. He returns to his spot, and looking at Clare, covers one eye with his hand. Clare laughs.

CLARE: So.. have you been living here long?

Haunter doesn't know how to answer that question. He points his finger under his chin in serious thought. He then does a comical waving gesture with his hand.

CLARE: Sort of..? Hmm.. I once read that Pokemon use to love human interaction. If that's true, then I guess it must have been pretty lonely, huh?

Haunter smiles with closed eyes, as if to keep himself cheered up. He covers one eye. Clare pauses himself from speaking for a bit. His eyes are filled with understanding. Clare stands up to his feet, still holding the light orb. He extends his other hand to Haunter for a handshake. The Haunter recognizes the gesture, but is surprised by it.

CLARE: My name's Clare.

Clare closes his eyes and gives a big smile. Haunter is still surprised, and hesitates himself. He feels almost honored by such an act. Haunter reaches out his three-claw hand, gently grasping Clare's.

CLARE: It's nice to meet ya.

Haunter, still seeing Clare's true smile, tries to mimic it, revealing his own enormous smile and closed eyes. He laughs a bit, saying his own name as they shake hands.

CLARE (v.o.): I never would have guessed that this was the beginning of one heck of a journey.

* * *

_~chapter 2 continued~_

* * *

Clare's mother enters the house, wearing a long coat. She lets down her hair as well as a sigh of exhaustion. She tosses a set of keys down on the shelf by the door, and then places her hands in her coat pocket, letting herself fall to lean against the wall.

MOM: Clare..?! I'm home. Did you eat anything?

Upstairs, down the hall, Clare's bedroom door is already open. His light is off, but a flickering light comes from a television. He shouts back in reply.

CLARE: Uh.. no, I forgot.

MOM: How can you forget something like that?

CLARE: I'm watching a movie.

MOM: Well come down in a bit, I'll fix you something. I want to talk to you about something too.

Clare is lid down on his stomach with his blanket over his back and head as he glances his view away from the tv. He is curious as to what his mother wishes to talk about.

* * *

_~chapter 2 continued~_

* * *

Clare and his mother now sit to a small table in the kitchen. They each have their eyes closed and hands up in prayer while a small and unclear picture of Clare's father stands on the table in the empty spot. His mother opens her eyes and lowers her hands.

MOM: Okay, you can eat now.

Clare swiftly lowers his hands and snaps apart his chopsticks, almost immediately eating. His mother smiles in surprise.

MOM: Wow, you really _did_ forget to eat, huh? What were _you_ up to all day?

Clare freezes himself for a few moments, not knowing what to say. Clare swirls his chopsticks in the air with a slightly nervous smile.

CLARE: Uh.. just movies and video games.

His mother gives an expression of only slight suspicion.

MOM: Hmm. Well, keep it up- if you want to wear glasses, that is.

Clare gives an embarrassed and slightly fake chuckle.

CLARE: So.. you wanted to talk about something..?

MOM: Oh- yes. Well, it's.. kind of hard to actually put into words. I've been thinking about this particular issue for a long time now.

Clare swallows his food, but then gives a look of concern and curiosity.

CLARE: Well, what is it?

MOM: Well.. I've been thinking about letting you go.. to catch up with your friends, that is.

As Clare's mother talks, black Haunter literally enters the room through the wall behind her, but stops half-way, looking around the house with extreme curiosity. Clare notices and freezes in shock, a shiver sending up through his body at the potentially-disastrous sight.

CLARE: Uh- oh, really? That's a rather unexpected change of heart.

Clare lets out another one of his fake-nervous chuckles. Haunter fully enters the room and begins to look around even more, Clare's mother still oblivious to him.

MOM: Well, for you, but like I said, I've been thinking about this for a while.

Haunter finally notices Clare sat down. He gives a huge smile and closed eyes and begins waving to him.

Clare is now in even more shock. He sweats a profound amount, hardly moving at all.

MOM: Clare..?

CLARE: Huh?

MOM: Well, I figured you would have taken this news at least a _different_ way than this.

Haunter glances upward at the ceiling. He then takes the liberty of swiftly floating straight up and going through. His mother glances behind her, but sees nothing. She looks back at Clare, now growing genuinely suspicious.

MOM: Are you okay..?

CLARE: Ya know what- that _is_ great news! I mean- it makes me happy and _joyous_ and- _wonderful_.. inside.

MOM: .. When did you start talking like that..?

CLARE: Um.. may I be excused for a minute please?

MOM: You've hardly eaten any- wh- why?

CLARE: Think I left my tv turned on.

MOM: .. Fine..

Clare stands up from the table, wiping his face in his napkin. He smiles nervously.

CLARE: Be right back..

Clare power-walks from the table and up the stairs. Once out of his mom's sight, he tries to be as quiet as possible as he leaps each step to his room. He pulls open the door. The tv is playing a movie, and Haunter is comically staring at it, as if hypnotized.

Clare gives an irritated expression and tries to whisper loudly.

CLARE: Ugh- when I said I'll see you later, I didn't mean _right_ after!

HAUNTER: Haaauuunt..

Haunter is still focused on the television.

CLARE: _Haunter_!

Haunter snaps out of it and turns to Clare. He gives a smile, and quickly swirls around the bedroom a few times before stopping. He eagerly looks at Clare, as if it to be his turn.

CLARE: What, you wanna _play_?

Haunter gets excited, grabbing Clare's bed blanket, about to make a mess. Clare, swiftly growing in stress, tries to calm him down.

HAUNTER: _Haunt_ haunt!

CLARE: Shh..! Look, we can't play here. How about- how 'bout we go somewhere else?

Haunter claps his hands together, then places one hand over his eye for a "yes". Clare begins to take slow steps toward Haunter, ready to grab him.

CLARE: Okay, good. We'll just.. go outside or something.

Haunter throws the blanket up in the air, and as it falls over him, Clare leaps forward, but falls on his bed instead. The blanket is empty. Clare sees that Haunter had tricked him by vanishing. He lets out a comical sigh.

CLARE: Ghost-types..

Clare's mother suddenly opens his bedroom door.

MOM: What's going on in here?!

CLARE: Ahh!

He swiftly gets back up to his feet.

CLARE: Sorry mom, you startled me.

MOM: I thought you came up to turn off your tv- _not_ to goof around! I swear, you're acting _really_ weird.

In an instant, Clare swipes up his remote and turns off his tv. Yet another fake-nervous laugh.

CLARE: Yeah, I know. I'm a little jumpy today. Too much sugar, I think.

His mother is unconvinced.

MOM: But you said you didn't eat anything until now.

CLARE: Oh- well, uh.. nothing healthy that is..

MOM: Clare! March down those stairs and finish your dinner!

CLARE: Y- yes ma'am!

Clare bolts past her and down the stairs.

Clare quickly scans the kitchen, but nothing. He swiftly steps into the living room and scans there as well. No Haunter. He checks the closet. The laundry room. The cupboards. No where.

His mother is almost to the bottom of the stairs. Clare swiftly jumps back to his place at the kitchen table. He commences eating again. His mother enters the kitchen and walks cautiously to her chair.

MOM: So, anyway.. do you still talk to your friends?

CLARE: Uh, well.. I _was_. But they've all gotten out of range now. My phone's only local, after all.

MOM: Oh. Do.. you know how you're going to track them, then? Since they're not trainers yet, the routes they take would be random, right?

CLARE: Oh, I'll just do my own thing 'til then. I was planning on getting a new phone when I got to the city anyway.

MOM: Which city?

There is a sudden crash from upstairs. Clare freezes himself again, but his mother reacts totally different. She swiftly glances toward the direction of the noise, as if to possess x-ray vision.

MOM: An intruder!

In only a few moments, Clare's mother had gone to the closet and pulled a shotgun from the top shelf. She loads it with two shells in an instant.

MOM: We're going up! Clare- stay close behind me.

CLARE: Wh- what?! Since when do we have a gun in the house?!

His mother begins to walk up the stairs, while aiming the shotgun forward. Clare gets out of his seat and begins to follow her.

CLARE: Mom, come on- it's probably just a.. Pidgey or something.

MOM: Bird-type Pokemon don't fly at night.

CLARE: Okay- well maybe it was a Zubat!

MOM: Clare, if you're hiding something, you better tell me right now.

They get to the upstairs, and his mother notices a mess of glass trailing out of her bedroom.

MOM: Okay- wait here Clare. Mommy got this.

CLARE: What?!

She swiftly runs down the hall, and kicks her bedroom door fully open, aiming her shotgun.

CLARE (v.o.): Is mom military, or something..?

His mother scans the room, but a fallen vanity and shattered mirror is the only thing abnormal. She notices the window.

MOM: Huh.. window's shut. He's still in the house..

CLARE: Okay- I'm sorry! I gotta tell you something.

His mother is still in the hall. She turns around, slinging her shotgun over her shoulder.

MOM: Well it's about time.

Black Haunter finally reveals himself, directly behind Clare's mother. Clare widens his eyes at the sight. Haunter notices the shotgun over her shoulder and pokes his finger inside the barrel.

MOM: Well..? Just what is going _on_ around here?

Haunter quickly pulls his finger out of the barrel, which makes a hollow pluck sound effect, suddenly grabbing the frozen attention of Clare's mother.

Clare is completely dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. Clare's mom glances behind her. Haunter looks directly at her, but covers both his eyes and holds out his enormous blue tongue. Completely shocked and terrified at the sight, she screams and brings down the shotgun. She pulls the trigger. The gun fires, and Haunter literally explodes into a burst of blood. As if time itself had nearly stopped, Clare widens his eyes at the horrific sight, unbelieving of what just happened. His mother is equally shocked. The blood splatters all over the hallway.

Clare just stares, traumatized. His mother still holding the shotgun, frozen in her shooting position, trembles, not knowing what to do.

The blood then begins to turn black in color. Every bit of it begins to literally move to the floor directly in front of Clare's mom til it makes a puddle. Haunter himself rises from it, forming back to his original shape. He laughs as if it were a simple prank.

He holds out his tongue, revealing the shotgun pellets that were fired at him. He drops them to the floor. Clare's mother is still frozen and shocked.

MOM: Ugh- what is this thing?

Clare has his head bowed down, not revealing his emotions. He tightens his fists.

CLARE: You stupid son of a..

Without hesitation, Clare leaps forward, just past his mom, and soars his fist through the air. He manages to actually punch Haunter in the face, who was still laughing.

CLARE: You scared the hell outta me!

The impact was unexpected to all of them. The hit sends Haunter bouncing all over the hallway floor and walls. After all the rebounds, Haunter gathers his own dizzy composure by rubbing his swelled cheek, while listening to Clare comically let out his frustrations.

CLARE: What was that all about?! If you weren't a ghost-type Pokemon, that woulda killed you! I wanted us to give an amazing first-impression to mom, but you had to pull something like that?! Wow! I heard that you ghost-types were mischievous tricksters, but- what was that?!

Haunter laughs and shrugs.

MOM: Clare..

Both Clare and Haunter glance toward her. She stands, comically looking psychotic with the shotgun in hand and weary eyes of almost every emotion.

MOM: I'd like to talk to you about something..

* * *

_~to be continued~_


End file.
